


Not So Unscathed

by JessaFray



Category: The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Blood and Injury, Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hurt Callum, Injury, Major Character Injury, Whump, worried Rayla
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-06
Updated: 2021-02-06
Packaged: 2021-03-18 00:06:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,012
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29234241
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JessaFray/pseuds/JessaFray
Summary: BIG SPOILERS FOR SEASON 3!!!!!!!What if Callum didn’t make it out of his fight with Prince Kasef unscathed?This story follows the show pretty well I just amped it up a bit. I just thought “What if Callum’s book hadn’t caught Kasef’s claws?” This story is what happens.I pretty much wrote this in one shot without editing and I don’t have a beta reader so please let me know if you notice any mistakes. This is my first Dragon Prince fanfic but I love the show so much and this just popped into my head so… enjoy!!cross-posted on FFnet
Relationships: Callum & Rayla (The Dragon Prince), Callum/Rayla (The Dragon Prince)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 53





	Not So Unscathed

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first work that I have published on AO3 so bear with me while I get used to actually being able to tag my works. Also, I wrote this over a year ago and posted it on FFnet back then so if you think you have seen this before that is probably why.
> 
> Much love,  
> JessaFray

Callum stood atop the storm spire anxiously looking down upon the turmoil below. He was waiting for the monster-soldiers to make an attempt at climbing the spire. His fingers were eagerly twitching at his sides in anticipation of drawing the runes necessary to perform magic. The shield wall had been broken so it was only a matter of time until his moment was to come.

Fear crept up Callum’s spine as the first creatures that were once his kin approached the base of the spire. They were too far out of range for magic to be effective. As the first of them reached the pathway just below him he drew out the rune and enunciated “Aspiro.” With a breath the monsters plummeted over the edge and back to the raging battle below. 

Callum didn’t have long to celebrate as another group ascended up reaching over the edge of his vantage point. Another rune was quickly scrawled in the air with a shouted “Fulminis” and lightning shot from him into the approaching enemies, exploding them off the spire.

In his distraction from the second group, Callum had failed to notice that not all of the soldiers from the first group had fallen. The monster that had previously been Prince Kasef clambered over the edge of the precipice at full speed, launching himself toward Callum and catching him off guard.

Callum didn’t have enough time to even finish the rune intended to knock Kasef back before being knocked off his feet. As he fell, a searing pain reached into his side. The impact with the rocks behind him along with the weight of the creature on top of him pulled the air from his lungs. He didn’t have time to think as the adrenaline that was now pulsating through his body allowed him to get his feet between himself and the once-prince and pushed him off and away.

Kasef appeared confused by his sudden distance from the human mage. The confusion gave Callum enough time to get up and catch his breath. The connection to the sky arcanum made his search for air much faster than it would have before the magic was inside him.

Callum did not have long to register the pain coming from his side before Kasef was back on him, grabbing him by the throat and the once air was once again restricted from his lungs. The creature pulled back his arm intending to strike its target once again when an arrow suddenly pierced its palm. The creature looks at its hand in confusion then to the direction from which said arrow had come. Two more arrows struck the monster, killing it.

The young mage collapsed to the ground, greedily gasping for air for the second time. As he caught his breath, his side flared up in pain. He reached toward his side feeling the torn fabric and the equally torn skin below. The cuts were steadily leaking blood and his torn shirt was sticky with it. Just then, he looked up and saw the banners of Duren and that of a broken chain link, which Soren had said were those still loyal to Ezran, cresting the hill and firing arrows into the enemy lines.

A red dragon lands on the ground near Callum and Ezran jumps from its back, shouting Callum’s name. “Are you alright?” The young king looked worriedly at his older brother. Callum replies, “I’m fine.” He did not want to worry his brother about the gouges in his side that were fortunately being covered by his jacket that had somehow been missed by the claws. His eyes drift up to the summit of the spire to where the elf he loves is waiting with the dragons. Luckily none of the enemy has made it to the peak.

“Go to her. We can take it from here.”

Callum turns to the source of the voice and gives Ezran a smile. He turns back to the young king and quickly begins to ascend the storm spire.

As he approached the peak, Callum’s side began to feel worse. The adrenaline from the battle was starting to fade and his injury was becoming more and more apparent with each step. He needed to get to Rayla. He could give in to the pain afterwards. He was so close to her that he could almost feel the pull towards her like the tide pulling towards the moon. The summit came into view and the hairs on the back of his neck prickled.

Something is terribly wrong.

He approached the summit and one of Rayla’s blades came flying towards him and pierced the ground directly in front of him. He looked up to see Viren with Zym captured in some spell and Rayla unarmed before him. 

The adrenaline came rushing back forcing everything from his mind except for the need to get to Rayla. He ran up the remaining steps to the peak. As he reached the top, Rayla gave him a sympathetic look before launching herself towards Viren and over the edge. 

Callum ran to the edge, screaming Rayla’s name, and looked over seeing nothing but clouds. He dropped his bag and launched himself over after her.

As he plummeted to the earth he reached for the arcanum saying the words to activate the runes scrawled on his arms. 

“Manus, Pluma, Volantus!”

Nothing.

“Please work. Manus, Pluma, Volantus!”

Nothing. Rayla came into view, reaching towards Callum as if saying goodbye.

“Rayla… I love you.... Manus. Pluma. Volantus.”

Feathers began sprouting from his arms, forming into wings.

Callum pushed himself towards the elf he loves and she managed to get her arms around him. He pulled up from the dive and headed back to the summit. Rayla pressed her lips to his as they flew upwards. Callum returned the kiss and desperately wanted to wrap his arms around her, but they were otherwise occupied at the moment. He propelled them up to the summit and clumsily landed. They were met by Zym’s happy yips meaning that he was okay. 

Callum put his arms around Rayla and whispered into here ear, “Rayla, I love you so much.” She pulled back to meet his eyes, “I love you too Callum.” They returned to their embrace never wanting to let each other go. Callum’s breathe began shaking which Rayla thought was just him crying after everything that had just happened, but the breaths were becoming more and more ragged with each passing second. Callum’s adrenaline was wearing off and his body was registering the blood loss from his steadily bleeding wound. 

Callum’s legs could no longer support him and his weight was put into Rayla’s arms. She lowered him to the ground. She looked at him with worry. His face was so pale and he was shaking. She grabbed his shoulders and lightly shook him to get his attention. “Callum... Callum… CALLUM!!” He looked up into her eyes. He was having so much trouble breathing. He weakly lifted his hand towards his side where his blue jacket had turned dark and wet with his blood. “Callum, Callum, Love, stay with me. Please.” She moved the jacket aside and found his red shirt torn to shreds and now a darker shade of red than the other side was. Rayla carefully tore the remainder of the shirt off, trying not to cause him any more pain. She let out a gasp as the wound came into full view. The ragged skin was still leaking blood. She looked back into Callum’s face. “This is going to hurt, my love.” Rayla took the shirt that she had pulled off of him, balled it up and pressed it into the wound to try and stop him from losing any more blood. Callum winced from the pain, but he didn’t have the strength to cry out. His lips formed the words “my love” before his eyes closed and he passed out.

“CALLUM!! PLEASE!!”

Rayla didn’t want to leave him, but she needed to get him help. She wasn’t a healer. She couldn’t take the pressure off the wound. She could only hope that somebody would come to check on them.

The sky above here went suddenly dark as a shadow passed over them and a red dragon landed by them. Ezran and another human Rayla didn’t recognize leaped from the dragon’s back and came running to them. Ezran’s voice reached her as if through a fog, “Rayla, what happened? I saw something was wrong through Zym. I brought one of Duren’s healers with me.” Rayla looked up at the word “healer” and breathed a sigh of relief and let the healer approach and put her hands over Rayla’s before softly speaking, “Rayla was it? We need to get him inside. Can you help me?” Rayla felt herself nod as the two of them picked Callum up while keeping the pressure on his side. They brought him to a room inside the storm spire and the healer began pulling various things out of her bag. Rayla was now drenched in Callum’s blood. She could feel it seeping into her skin as if it were trying to reach her soul. She just stared at her blood-soaked hands taking in everything that had just happened. Tears started to well in her eyes. The healer looked up at her, “Rayla, maybe you should go wash up, change out of those clothes, and take a minute to process this, then you can come back and be with him. Don’t worry, I will take good care of him.” Rayla looked up and nodded, unable to form words, and left the room with a last glance at Callum, she paused at the door, and forced herself to leave.

As soon as Rayla reached her room, she closed the door behind her and collapsed to her knees, finally letting herself cry. She was unsure how long she stayed like that before picking herself up off the floor and washing the blood off herself. She changed her clothes and reached her hand out to open her door back up and go back to Callum. She paused. What if the healer couldn’t help? What if it was too late? She had just realized her feelings for him a few days ago. What if this was the end?

No.

Stop thinking that way.

This can’t be the end.

Callum is strong.

She opened the door and made her way back to the room where Callum was. As she approached, the door opened and the healer came out. The healer smiled at Rayla, “He will be okay. He is still unconscious right now from the blood loss, but he should wake up some time tomorrow. You may stay with him if you would like.”

Rayla released the breath she didn’t realize she had been holding. “Thank you so much.”

The healer smiled and held the door open for Rayla to pass through it, closing it behind the elf. Rayla looked to the bed where Callum was. There was a bit more color to his face now and his breathing was slow and steady. Rayla breathed out a sigh of relief and went to him, sitting in the chair beside the bed and grabbing his hand. She kissed the back of his hand then his forehead. He was a bit warmer than usual and his hair was pasted to him with sweat, but nothing was too alarming. Rayla sat and watched him breathe for a few moments. It was a relief. She sat back in the chair and finally began to relax a bit. The sound of his breathing eventually lulled the moonshadow elf to sleep with her head rested on the bed near their connected hands.

Rayla woke to somebody stroking her face. She opened her eyes and saw Callum’s staring back at her. He smiled warmly at her and whispered, “Are you okay, my love?” Rayla smiled and moved up to place a kiss on Callum’s lips. She placed another on his forehead and looked directly into his eyes.

“I am now.”


End file.
